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Thread: A fascinating 1957 short informational film about service stations in America.

  1. #1
    Administrator 567chevys's Avatar
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    A fascinating 1957 short informational film about service stations in America.

    I really thought this was a Neat Video
    https://youtu.be/UOVcBNSjURs


    Sid

    1955 2 DR Post
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  2. #2
    Registered Member WagonCrazy's Avatar
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    that was waaaay coool Sid. Thanks for posting.
    when i started driving in 1976, i remember gas prices being about 45 cents per gallon. a few years later, the iranian crisis hit and the embargos started, the long lines at the service station, and prices went UP, UP, UP...
    by 1980, we were all ditching our muscle cars and driving mini trucks (because it was tough to pay for fuel on a part time lawnmowing/fast food/waiter/etc wage).
    The times, they have changed.
    1957 Nomad- LS1/T56 on C4 chassis
    1959 Fleetside Apache 1/2 ton, shortbed, big window, 327ci.

  3. #3
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    When I turned 15-16 gas was selling between 25.9 and 29.9 cents a gallon depending on whether there was a "gas war" in town. The self-service stations were just starting to pop up. We used to pool our money and come up with $2 for gas to cruise all night. People complain that gas is expensive now at 10 times that....but we also made $1.50-2 an hour back then. So gas is actually fairly cheap today. We also had to have regular (yearly) car safety inspections that were done by gas stations. They checked your horn, headlights, turn signals, brake lights, tires, wipers and brakes to make sure everything worked, then they put a sticker on the windshield, which was required to get license plates. That hasn't been required for decades now.....now we have to have an emissions test .
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


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  4. #4
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    It would be so cool if they started going back to full service nationwide again, instead of just a couple states like Oregon, and New Jersey where it's still required. If nothing else, just checking tire pressures, and oil level. It would save millions of dollars. I liked the film clip, and was surprised how bad the body fit was on the new 57 yellow vert. I guess I won't worry so much on mine either, so I can drive it sooner. Since so many people sit in there cars for 30 minutes in a drive-through to get a cup of coffee, instead of getting off their ass and going inside for 3 minutes, the station staff could just bring the shit out to you while filling the tank. That would be something different, and like it used to be.
    Last edited by 55 Rescue Dog; 11-22-2019 at 03:45 PM.

  5. #5
    Registered Member carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)'s Avatar
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    enjoyed that, thanks Sid. sure were good times back then.
    ARMY NAM VET, very proud!

    56 210 4dr

    drive and enjoy them while you work on them, life is to short.

  6. #6
    Registered Member Troy's Avatar
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    That was great, I was a pump jockey for 4-5 years in high school and college. The first one was at the gates of a retirement community, the boss would sell the old folks new tires even when they didn't need them. He was a crook!!! There was another guy there that worked the day shift that would sell the old people oil when they didn't need it he kept an empty can of oil with a spout in it and pretend he was adding oil. He would put hash marks on his wrist then when he closed out his drawer he would add up the fake oils and take the money out of the till. He hated people who actually needed oil because he couldn't cheat them!!! The only good thing about that station was it kept my step brothers V8 Vega up in tires!!! I left after 6 month to a high class station/car wash I was happy there.

  7. #7
    Administrator 567chevys's Avatar
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    Few More signs found in the last 2 Months

    No where to hang them Time to move


    Sid
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    1955 2 DR Post
    1937 Chevy Coupe
    2023 Ford Super Duty F350 TREMOR
    2019 Corvette Z06
    1955 Chevy Nomad
    1935 Ford 2dr Slant back I have 4

  8. #8
    Registered Member Chevy Chase's Avatar
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    Love the fact trifives were the stars of the movie. Took me back a few decades down memory lane when I was 16 and pumped gas at Ft Belvoir, Va. Some customers were really clueless and insisted on doing it themselves. One kernal (lol) didn't know how to shut off the pump and pumped gas all over the island screaming how do you shut this thing off. We had to shut the gas station down to hose everything off.....we chose to use water. A house wife insisted on checking her own radiator and topped it off with water......except it was the engine oil filler tube she topped off. Ha Ha Ha. So as elementary as this movie seems, it should have been required viewing for high schooler's back then.

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